Ginger's Adventures I: Ginger's Origins
by Ginger the Barn Owl
Summary: In the woodlands of Georgia, a Barn Owl named Ginger is born in a spruce tree. Her first six years are joyful and carefree, but the family's happiness is put to a halt when her brother, Felix, enters the picture. His unruliness leads Ginger to the brink of insanity, and she lashes out at her own father. Knowing the danger she poses, how will she keep her family safe...from herself?
1. Prologue

_"Isn't it Magnificent?" the rusty-colored Barn Owl said to his mate._

 _"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Ethan," the female owl, Nutmeg, agreed._

 _There in the nest sat the couple's first egg. Almost perfectly round and milky white, it glimmered in the soft light of the crescent moon. It was then that the two owls heard a loud noise._

Ker- _ **KRACK!**_

 _Though the sound was inaudible to the other animals in the Georgian forest, Ethan and Nutmeg's advanced senses of hearing were easily able to detect it, as to them, it rang throughout the entire tree hollow. Nutmeg turned her head back towards the egg. There on its surface was a tiny black seam. Just seconds later, more loud cracking noises spread through the hollow in the old spruce tree. From inside the egg, Nutmeg heard quiet peeps. Her teal eyes widened._

 _"Ethan, Ethan!" she called. "Come quickly!"_

 _The other Barn Owl stepped closer to the nest._

 _"What is it?" There was a hint on concern in his tone of voice._

 _"The egg! It...It's HATCHING!"_

 _"WHAT!?" Ethan was frantic. "But-I-But it's not supposed to hatch until tomorrow!"_

 _"Oh, calm down, dear. It doesn't always take_ exactly _thirty-two nights. I once new a Barred Owl family whose egg hatched_ three _days early, and the hatchling was perfectly fine. No defects no mental problems, nothing. I'm sure it's no big deal."_

 _"Well...if you say so," Ethan accepted._

 _"But let's not worry about it right now, Ethan. We'll miss our chick being born if we're too distracted. Just watch!"_

 _The soon-to-be parents watched in amazement as the crack in the egg grew longer and wider each second. Within minutes, the two halves fell apart and revealed a slimy pink blob; their chick._

 _"Oh, it's a GIRL!" Nutmeg exclaimed. In her jubilation, she let out a long, piercing Barn Owl Shree. It was a shree of pure joy._

 _"She's wonderful, Nutmeg," Ethan sighed, now much calmer than before. "Oh. What should we name her?"_

 _"Hm, good question, honey."_

 _Nutmeg gave the matter a few moments of thought._

 _"What about 'Ginger?' I've always wanted a little Ginger. Isn't it the perfect name?"_

 _"Yes," Ethan agreed. He bent down and gazed lovingly at the newborn owl._

 _"Perfect...just like her."_


	2. Chapter 1: Meat on Bones

"And that," Nutmeg concluded as she tossed some old bark shavings out of the hollow. "is the story of how you hatched."

" _Yaaay,_ I love it!" The fluffy beige owlet chirped as she began to hop cheerfully. "It's my favorite story!"

"It's my favorite, too, Ginger. I remember it like it was just yesterday."

Ginger stopped hopping and sat down, her anticipation swelling for another story of her long-forgotten chick days.

"Got any more?"

"Well, I do have one more I don't think I've told you. I was always afraid it would scare you."

"I won't be scared, Momma, I promise! I wanna hear it!"

"Well, alright, if you can handle it well enough."

"I can, Momma, and I will!"

"Well, it was when you were only two. Your down was nothing more than a soft layer of short fuzz. Now, listen closely. It was drawing near the beginning of spring, and the weather was just beginning to warm up, and you had become very sick."

"I did?"

"You did. And it was very bad, too."

"It was?"

"Absolutely. Alba Pox, that's what it's called. It's a sickness that only Barn Owls like us can get, hence the name. And your case was very bad, sicne you were so young. Burning with fever day in and day out, sores all over your soft little self, yarping liquid every two hours..." Nutmeg paused, then seemed to cringe. "It was horrible!"

"Really?" Ginger wasn't scared, but she found it hard to believe she was once in such a pitiful state of being.

"Yes. And your father and I were mortified when we found out what it was. You were so young, and it was so bad, we were almost certain that you weren't going to make it."

"What do you mean, 'make it?"

"We...We didn't think you would live through it, it's that bad. And even older owls don't have that great a chance of making it."

"You mean..." The realization crept up on Ginger like a centipede up their tree. "You mean die?"

"I'm afraid so." Ginger's mother let out a sigh.

"But I'm did make it, right?"

"Yes...Yes you did." Nutmeg's eyes lit up. "Your father and I weren't going to give up on you quite so easily. We worked all day, everyday trying to make you well, and it took many long weeks for you to finally show signs of improving. But you did. You pulled through, just like we hoped you would."

Ginger squeed with excitement.

"And you know something else?"

"What's that?"

"According to rumor, it's said that any owl who survives the disease...Well, it's hard to explain, but it has to do with your blood. The rumor is that if an owl survives through Alba Pox, their blood sort of...changes due to the illness, and makes it much, much stronger. So strong, in fact, that it can easily fend off any other germs that could make you sick, and you would be never be sick again."

"Is it true?"

"We can't say for sure, but it sure seems so. Can you recall a time where you were under the weather?"

In her short life, Ginger could not remember being sick. She shook her head no in response.

"Neither can I. So there's definitely a chance it could be true.

"Oooooh, that's neat." Ginger said before glancing outside the hollow opening.

"What is it, dear?"

"When will Daddy be back with dinner?"

"Oh, he shouldn't be long now," Nutmeg replied. "This time of year, it doesn't take long to find, let alone catch a squirrel. And according to what he told me before he left, he said that he was going to try to find a nice fat one."

"Ooooooh, cool. Hey! I think that's him right now!"

The two owls heard a screech pierce the silence of the night. Peering out of the hollow, they saw Ethan flying through the dimly lit sky towards them, carrying the promised squired in his talons. Upon drawing closer to the spruce tree, he let go of the squirrel with one foot, slowed the flapping of his wings and used his free talons to grasp the edge of the hollow before entering and placing the kill on the floor.

"Nice looking squirrel, isn't it? Nice and plump with the perfect amount of fur."

"It looks very appetizing, dear," Nutmeg agreed.

"Let's eat!" Ginger ran at the dead rodent with a wide opened beak, having every intent of ripping off a huge chunk of it. But before she could get to it, her father extended a wing and gently pushed her away.

"Ah-ah-ah, no, Ginger. This time I get the meat off for you," he told her calmly.

"Why?"

"Why? Because your mother and I have decided that it's time for you to start eating your meals like grown-up owls Tonight you will be getting a bigger chunk that usual."

"Neat-o!"

"And it's going to have bones in it, the way your mother and I have it."

"Oh," Ginger replied, having lost her enthusiasm. "Am I going to still like it?"

"I can assure you that it won't taste any different unless it tastes _better."_

"Now," Nutmeg instructed as Ethan began to pull off a bony piece of the squirrel. "To eat a piece of meat with bones in it, you simply swallow it whole. Pick it up in your beak, tilt your head back, the let in a little at a time so you don't choke until you've got the entire piece in your mouth. Once you do all of that, just swallow, but make sure it doesn't go down the wrong pipe."

The owlet hung on to every word her mother said.

"Okay," Ethan placed the chunk onto the floor in front of Ginger. "Down the hatch!"

Ginger looked at it skeptically for a moment, then slowly bent down and picked it up with her beak, finding that the bones made it a bit heavier than what she was used to. Determined to overcome this small obstacle, she tipped her head back then let it slide bit by bit down her throat until it was no longer visible. She swallowed the meat and it went down into her gizzard.

"Ha, ha! You nailed it on the first try!" her father exclaimed.

"I did?"

"Yes!" Nutmeg piped up. "That was excellent!"

The owlet puffed out the down feathers on her chest with pride.

"How about we get you a nice crunchy centipede to celebrate your accomplishment?"

"Normally I would say yes," Ginger told them. "But I'm stuffed."


	3. Chapter 2: The Dream Become a Reality

Ginger had nary a care in the world as an owlet. She played as she pleased, and occasionally helped Ethan and Nutmeg rid the hollow of various vermin that would try to find their way into the nest that they all slept in, much to their delight. She was perfectly content being the only owlet in the hollow, not complaining that she was lonely or bored, as she could easily keep herself busy. Little did she know that that was going to change.  
It happened on a cloudy afternoon. The family was asleep in the nest. Much to the family's surprise, Nutmeg called out,

" _Bwa-GAWK!_ "

The other two owls immediately raised their heads and stared at the mother owl, who gently placed Ginger outside the nest and turned towards the wall with her husband. Though the owlet knew they were whispering to one another, she couldn't make out what they were saying...though what ever they were saying, it was obvious to her that they didn't want her to know. In order to hear them more clearly, she tilted her head in all different directions, triangulating the sound and increasing it.

"You said it was a dream, Nutmeg?"

"Yes, and an extremely odd one. My best assumption, though it sounds crazy, was that my actions somehow worked their way out of my dream. Either that, or the dream itself was trying to tell me that."

"You're right. That _does_ sound crazy. But I can't think of any other way it could have happened."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ginger asked them. The owls turned around abruptly.

"Oh, Ginger!" Ethan exclaimed. "We, uh...heh, heh...um...Nutmeg you tell her."

"Um, oh, me?"

 _Yup. They're definitely keeping something from me._ Ginger said to herself.

"Well, we, uh..uhhh..." She sighed. "Alright, might as well get it over with...You see, Ginger, I had the craziest dream last night."

"Really?" Suddenly interested, Ginger listened closely.

"Well, I dreamt that I was a chicken on one of those crazy egg farms that humans run. I had laid so many eggs that they filled the entire barn I was in. That's when the farmer came in. Keep in mind that this was only a dream, but within second, he had put every single egg in the barn into his basket.

'Keep layin!" he told me, so I kept on laying eggs, clucking all the while, until I woke up all of us with that loud ' _Bwa-GAWK!"_

Ginger giggled, find this story very amusing.

"Well, what your father and I were talking about before, dear. It turns out...it wasn't entirely a dream."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...see for yourself."

Nutmeg stood up and revealed a shiny white orb in the nest. It was another egg

"I laid it during the dream."

Ginger stared at it, her eyes growing wider every second.

"Don't be upset, dear, just-

"Are you KIDDING ME!?" Ginger screeched, beaming. "This is amazing!"

"You like it? You really like that you're going to have a sibling?"

"Yes! I-ow."

Ginger stopped smiling and held one of her wings.

"What's wrong with your wing" Ethan asked her, stepping out of the nest.

"I don't know," the owlet responded.

"Here, let me have a look." Ethan gently stretched out her tiny wing and carefully examined it.

"Ah ha! Flight feathers!"

"Huh?"

"Your flight feathers! Your wing hurts because they're starting to form. Once they come through the skin, not only will they stop hurting, but they'll grow bigger and bigger until they're like ours!"

Stretching out his own wing, Ethan revealed his own flight feathers, which, of course, had been funny grown for the longest time.

"And some day you'll use those feathers to soar through the skies like me and your mother."

"When will they come through?"

"It usually takes about a month, and the egg should hatch at about the same time."

"Two reasons to celebrate!" Nutmeg cheered. "Isn't it exciting?"

Ginger nodded, still smiling and staring at the egg. She began to imagine what her new baby brother or sister would look like. She imagined what her life was like inside the egg shell before she hatched. Her wings barely hurt anymore. She was unable to pay any attention to the pain due to the many things that were going on in her mind. It would be a busy month for the owl family. Shed have to deal with wing pain, and they'd all be tending to the needs of the egg. On top of that, Ginger would be turning six the coming month as well, so, although not having a huge party like the humans did in the urban areas, they would do something small. Despite all of the fuss and running around there would be, it would all be worth it once the newborn owlet entered the outside world from the comfort of its shell.


	4. Chapter 3: Worth it All

Days passed. Ginger eagerly helped her parents tidy up the hollow, sweeping the floor with tiny homemade brooms made from sticks and molted feathers, and adding fresh moss and down to the nest. Ginger even volunteered to gather her own down, which she was beginning to molt to make room for sleeker, more aerodynamic feathers, and surround the egg with it. She didn't mind, as the down was beginning to make her feel too hot, anyway.  
The owlet turned six two weeks after the egg had been laid. As a special maturing ceremony, she ate her first whole animal, (vole, her favorite,) and got treated with a sticky honeycomb for dessert as a reward for her accomplishment. The festivities were short lived, however, as the egg, of course, had to be tended too.  
Cleaning the hollow wasn't a difficult task. Being a small space, little sweeping had to be done at one time, but they did so every day in order to maintain a clean environment for the chick. There was also the matter of nest bugs, who would potentially reproduce inside the nest and cause an unsanitary infestation. In order to get rid of the pests, they had to be pecked out of the twigs in the nest and dropped out of the hollow onto the forest floor. They had a sweet taste, but the larvae were not meant to be eaten, as they were unhealthy for owls. Ginger did manage to sneak one or two as a small snack, however. She, like all creatures, was not perfect.  
Near the end of May, her mature feathers came through the skin. Ginger was relieved that the small black shafts were not poking the inside of her thin outer skin anymore, and the pain lessened by a significant amount after that.  
The nest three nights were not much different labor-wise until about midnight on the third night after the young owl's feathers came through. Ethan and Nutmeg had recently left the hollow for the hunt. Having no jobs to do as of late, Ginger just stared dreamily at the egg that contained her sibling. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft " _crack._ " Ginger looked at the egg more closely, and saw a hair thin crack on the shell. She began to panic silently.

 _What!? Wha-What am I gonna do!? The egg can't hatch now! Mom and Dad aren't back yet! They'll miss the hatching of their own egg! I gotta do something!_

She paced rapidly in circles around the hollow trying to think of a way to either delay the hatching or to get her parents to come home quicker. She certainly couldn't leave the hollow and risk falling to the distant ground below or being eaten by a wild animal...OR BOTH. The owlet was running out of time. The tiny crack just grew longer and thicker, and her parents were still nowhere in sight. It was then that she heard the familiar soft wing beats of her mother and father coming closer. They were still too far away to see, and she could tell by the pattern of the beats that they were flying slowly. An idea suddenly popped into the owlet's head.

 _If I can hear their wings flapping...that means they can hear me make a loud noise!_

Ginger inhaled the biggest breath she'd ever taken and let it out like any other Barn Owl would in a situation like this.

 _"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"_

The long, ear piercing shree shattered the silence and spread throughout the entire forest. Hordes of bats flew out of hiding and into the open air, startled by the loud noise. Once her call had stopped echoing, Ginger listened closely again for her parents. The flapping had turned rapid, and grew louder with every beat, a sure sign that they were flying at maximum speed. The next thing she knew, they were landing on the branch that extended just outside their hollow and scrambling inside.

"Egg's hatching! EGG'S HATCHING!" Ginger hollered while jumping and flapping her stubby wings. The three of them rushed to the nest. and watched. The crack kept growing, and soon enough, a tiny piece of shell popped off the egg, exposing the chick's egg tooth.

" _Coooooooool,_ " Ginger almost breathed as the chick kept pecking at the shell and breaking off small pieces at a time. Within minutes, half of the shell was scattered in pieces around the hollow floor. The slimy pink blob climbed out or what remained.

" _Peep,_ " it chirped.

"It's wonderful, Nutmeg sighed.

"Indeed," Ethan agreed.

Ginger waddled up to the chick and marveled at it.

"What's its name?" she asked.

"Depends on whether its a boy or a girl," Nutmeg told her.

"Well, let's find out!" Ethan took a good look at it.

"M- _hmmm_!"

"What is it?" Ginger questioned.

"It's...it's...It's a boy!"

"YAY!" Ginger felt as light as air.

"That was quite a shree," Ethan told her daughter. "I wasn't able to make a call like that until I was almost a fully fledged adult."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Wow," Ginger herself was surprised by her feat.

"So, what shall we name the chick?" Nutmeg chimed in.

"How about 'Felix?' It seems fitting."

"Hm...it does, doesn't it? What do you think, Ginger?"

"I do," she replied, staring at her new brother.

Something lit up within the young owl. It was a new spark of personality: maturity. She felt so grown up. Ginger vowed then and there to give up all things fur and games and replace them with knowledge, dignity, and sensibility. She decided that she would teach Felix about all things owl; how to hunt, how to fly when the time came, and how to thrive in their forest home. Ginger and her parents had worked like beavers the past month, but it was worth it. it was worth it all.


	5. Chapter 4: The Trials of Siblinghood

Time went by rather quickly for the owls. Weeks passed after the hatching of Felix, and they soon turned to months, which soon turned to years. Not long before age three, Felix was speaking comprehensively, rather than babbling nonsensical vocabulary mashups that owlets had a frequent habit of doing. As Felix spoke about the joys of insects and what a pleasure it was to eat them one night, Ginger decided that now was the perfect time to begin her tutoring. Their parents were out on a hunt, so she decided that it would be convenient to start while they were performing other duties, as not to worry them so, and she sat Felix in the middle of the nest and perched above him on its rim.

"Okay, Felix," she began. "I'm gonna teach you how to be an owl."

The chick was looking in every direction but his sister's.

"Felix, pay attention," Ginger almost snapped.

He immediately set his gaze on her upon the remark.

"Now, first off, it's best to know things ahead of time. I'm going to teach you how to eat meat so you'll be ready when the time comes, okay? Fe-Felix?"

She looked down and caught her brother pecking at nest bugs, oblivious to what she had just said.

" _Oh, nononononononononono!"_ she squawked as she lifted Felix out of the nest and placed him back onto the floor.

"You can't eat nest bugs!" she scolded. "If you do you'll get fat, and then you won't be ready to eat meat, and then you won't be ready to eat fur, and _then_ you won't be able to eat bones, and so on!"

Upon hearing what would happen, Felix immediately spit the already crunched up bug out onto the floor.

"Now," she continued. "When Mom and Dad get back with the kill, I'll show you how to eat fresh meat properly."

"Okay," Felix responded.

Ginger looked outside the hollow and saw her parents flying back.

"Here they come now, as a matter of fact."

The adult owls slowed and entered, each of them carrying a mouse in their talons.

"Kids, we're back with lunch!" Ethan called.

Both owlets ran up to them, ready to chow down.

"Oh, and here's a cricket for Felix." Nutmeg placed the recently killed bug at his feet.

"Yipeee!" Felix loved crickets more that anything else in the world. Most owlets his age did.(Except Ginger. It came as a shock to her parents that she didn't like the way they tasted.)

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Ginger said as she buried her face in the small rodent and pulled out a large chuck from the center, where the ribs were.

"So, Ging'," Ethan said with a beak full of mouse. "What did you and Felix do while we were gone?"

"Nothing much," Ginger responded. But then she raided her head abruptly.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Could I be excuse for just a sec'?"

"I guess so," Nutmeg replied. "But what's the reason?"

"This is the reason." Ginger tore a small piece of meat off the mouse and headed over to where Felix was still finishing his cricket. He raised his head and looked up at his older sister.

"As promised, Felix." The owl tipped her head and flawlessly demonstrated the consumption of a piece of meat.

"And that's how you eat meat, dear brother."

Felix clapped his stubby wings for about a second, then resumed eating the insect.

 _I wonder if ANY of that sunk in._ Ginger muttered to herself as she picked up a newly crafted feather broom and began sweeping the floor. Glancing in one direction, she saw her parents gazing at her with loving eyes. Having no idea why they were looking at her like such, she hesitantly inquired.

"Erm...what?"

Nutmeg sighed.

"Ah, look at you."

"What about me?"

"You've grown up so much."

She was right. Since Felix's egg had hatched, Ginger had been spending less and less time worrying about keeping herself entertained and more and more time keeping herself doing work. And she looked much older, as well. Her down feathers were nowhere near as plentiful as they'd been when she was a mere owlet like Felix, and her new flight feathers were turning her a tan shade from the ivory beige she once was. Her wings themselves appeared bigger and more developed compared to her body now than when she was her brother's age.

"I guess I have, haven't I?"

"And you're not done," Her father added. "Someday, those wings are gonna have the strength to carry you all the way to another tree, where you'll make yourself a home of your own."

This notion somewhat unnerved his daughter.

"Will I ever see you guys again after that?"

"Oh, of course you will!" Nutmeg replied. "You could come visit us anytime!...or vice-versa."

"Okay, well that's go-wait a minute..."

Ginger cut the conversation short and swiveled her head around, looking around the hollow. Her parents heard her heart begin to beat faster.

"What? Is something wrong?" Ethan questioned.

Ginger looked at them fearfully.

"Where's Felix?"

The owls began to panic. They frantically ran about the hollow trying to locate the owlet, only to find nothing. It was Ginger who witness the heart-stopping scene on the branch outside the hollow.

"HE'S ON THE BRANCH!" she screamed at the top of her tiny lungs.

Within barely a sliver of a second, Ethan zoomed out of the hollow, grabbed his son with his starboard foot and placed him on the hollow floor.

"What on earth were you THINKING!?" Ginger reprimanded hysterically. "You can't just waltz onto the branch like that! You could fall! Or get snatched by a predatory bird! OR BOTH!"

"What's a _predator?_ " Felix asked, much more confused than ashamed.

Ginger slapped her face with her wing.

"They're **DANDEROUS!** " she yelled, now steaming mad. "THAT'S _WHAT THEY ARE!"_

"Now, now, Ginger," Nutmeg said in a soothing tone as she gently pulled her away from the scene. "Don't get yourself all worked up over this."

"Yeah, that's _our_ job!" Ethan joked.

"I can't let you guys do _everything,"_ Ginger argued, not liking the fact that her parents wouldn't let her help them with this.

"You haven't been," Nutmeg told her. "Ever since Felix's egg was laid, you've barely had any time to yourself with all you've been doing. Don't you miss playing like you used too?"

"Well..." Ginger didn't know whether or not they'd be upset, but she decided to confess, anyway.

"No, not really. It just doesn't seem like much fun anymore. In fact, it hasn't really crossed my mind until now. Besides, You have other things to do besides clean the hollow, you need to hunt, tend to Felix, of course, and I'm sure you'd like time to yourselves every so often, too. I can't waste my time playing around when you guys need help."

The older Barn Owls exchanged glances between themselves and their daughter. Never had they heard an owlet speak with such maturity and dignity that she sounded almost like an adult owl. They were both very impressed...and equally disturbed.

"Oh, Ginger," Ethan said, breaking the short silence between the owls. "You're acting too grown-up. You don't need to throw away your childhood just to help us. Sure, you can help us out around here every so often, but that doesn't mean you have to stop playing and just work."

Ginger had no idea how to respond to this. She didn't really miss playing.

 _Well, maybe I could play with Felix and keep him from doing bad things. Yeah, that sounds good._

"I guess you guys are right," She agreed. "I'm just...I'm not used to playing much anymore."

"Trust me," Ethan assured her. "Once you start acting like an owlet again, you'll remember how much you love it."

"Really?"

"Really," Nutmeg put in.

"If you say so." Ginger shrugged, skeptical about the idea. Oh, well. Her parents were probably right anyway. Why throw away childhood when you have years of it left, anyway?


	6. Chapter 5: Passing Time

Time continued to pass for the family of owls. Ethan and Nutmeg continued their normal tasks; hunting, cleaning the nest and hollow, and periodically, they expanded the nest for the growing owlets. Despite their busy schedule, they would stop their work every so often and entertain their small brood. At dawn, they would often tell tales of the humans that dwelled in the cities outside their forest ecosystem who built immense towers and other structures. These stories often came with lectures.

"As owls, members of the vast Animal Kingdom," Nutmeg told Ginger and Felix one morning. "we have developed a...well...sort of law that states that owls, as well as all other creatures, must never speak a word to people. You see, they have different beliefs from us, and according to both ancient and modern history, they believe that we cannot speak the way they do, even though we really can. They believe that we communicate in a much less intelligent way, also believing that they are superior to us concerning smarts. If word were to get out that we can speak, our entire way of life would potentially crumble before them. Now, some humans are nice and like our kind, despite not knowing we can talk like them. They take their time to study species and even conserve and protect them from other dangers. However, you can never really tell, so it is best to keep your distance. Am I clear on this situation?"

"Yes, Mom," both of the owlets said simultaneously.

Over the course of the many following months, Ginger found that getting used to less work and more play was not anywhere near as easy as her parents stated it would be. She would often attempt to teach Felix how to play games she'd been taught when she was his age, like Find the Feather and Talon Tapping, but he turned them all down. The only thing that Felix ever wanted to play was a game he'd made up called _Knight and Dragon._ Ever since Ethan had shared a tale of medieval times with the family, involving people of the Middle Ages, castles, kings, and of course knights and dragons, Felix had been completely obsessed with the matter. The game he made involved two owls, one playing as the knight, and the other as the dragon. The knight would wield a blunt twig like a sword and attempt to poke the dragon's vital area, and the dragon would try to knock the sword from the knight's talons. Whoever succeeded first won the game. At first, Ginger found the game enjoyable, but it became the only thing they ever played together after a while, and the worst part was that Felix was always the knight and Ginger was always the mean old dragon. Every now and then, Ginger would try to coax Felix into letting her be the knight mid-game.

"Hey, Felix," she would tell him as she tried to avoid his "sword pokes." "Are you sure _you_ wouldn't like to be the dragon for a change this time?"

"No way."

"Why not?"

"Because the knight always wins!" While Ginger was distracted by talking, he poked her in the gizzard with the twig and won...again.

"Well, is it okay if I be the knight _next time?_ "

"Sure!" Felix would always say, but he never kept his promise. Since Ginger didn't want to get into a fight, and she thought telling her parents the problem would probably make her sound stupid and childish, she eventually gave up trying to be the knight and stopped asking altogether. Still, the game had grown tiresome and tedious, at least to her. Sometimes, Ginger would also try to teach Felix how to do certain jobs, and even tried to continue her vowed lessons of how to be a proper owl, but he barely ever listened when she wanted him to pay attention. And when she did get his attention, it was always for the same reason: Knight and Dragon.

"Ginger! Hey, Ginger!" Felix would shout while their parents were out hunting.

Tired and a bit crabby, Ginger slowly turned her head toward him and looked at him with a rather grim expression.

"What is it, Felix?" she sighed.

"Will you play Knight and Dragon with me?"

"Not now, Felix..." Her voice had a soft, annoyed growl embedded deep within it.

"Aw, come on! It's been so long since we last played it!"

"If by 'so long,' you mean two hours ago. I'm not in the mood to do that right now, alright?"

"Hmph. I'm telling when Mom and Dad get back."

Ginger let out a growlish sigh.

"Fine, but for a few minutes and that's it for tonight."

Her warning never held out, as she would be kept playing for almost another full hour, which, when it was a constant activity throughput the day, not only became boring, but also added to her fatigue. On top of that, Felix would almost always ask to play the game while Ethan and Nutmeg were out hunting, and when she would try to stop and rest from playing, Felix would badger her to get back up and continue playing. When her parents did eventually get back, they would assign her a small amount of certain chores for her to do before they ate, and usually right after she got done playing.

"Could I at least take a break first?"

"Ginger, you had plenty of time to break while we were gone," Ethan would tell her.

"Not really, considering that I was playing Knight and Dragon with Felix nearly the whole time you guys were gone."

"Sounds like a break to me."

Since she never told them that she was really beginning to hate it, her parents thought Ginger enjoyed playing that game with Felix. She never told them because she was afraid she would get into trouble, which she knew wouldn't be good.

The cycle continued for many months, which eventually turned into many years. The only thing that changed with the owlets' behavior was that Ginger finally gave up on trying to teach Felix the ways of the owl, as they were going absolutely nowhere, and she completely abandoned the vow she'd made when Felix had hatched. However, the young owls' appearances changes drastically. Felix looked similar to the way Ginger had when he had hatched, having lost a lot of down and growing in flight feathers. Ginger's feathers, which were once raggedy and tan were now sleek, shiny and a marvelous shade of caramel brown. Her down was now completely hidden by her smooth white undersides, and her flight feathers had grown in all the way. She was streamlined and beautiful, the way every owl should be at that age...but she was also on the verge of losing it.


	7. Chapter 6: Night Flight

After a breakfast of field mice one evening in June, Ginger slumped over to the back corner of the hollow and sat in the nest, giving the unaware Felix an annoyed glare. Her brother was currently fascinated by a mantis that had found its way into their home, little to her amusement.

 _What is it with him?_ she asked herself as she rolled her eyes. _Why can't he just be a...a_ normal _owlet?_

She was a stranger to the owl she'd once been; a tired, lonesome grump who saw happiness in being left completely to herself.

 _Hmph. I wonder how many seconds I can count before Felix asks me to play Knight and Dragon again,_ she wondered. But the next owl to approach her was her father, not Felix. He was still messing around with the little green bug.

"Ginger," he said plainly, but with a smile.

"Yes?" The word barely came out of her beak as she turned and looked at her father.

"It's time."

"Time for what?"

Ethan gently spread out her port wing with his own.

"Take a guess."

Her mother was extending her own wing toward the hollow opening. Ginger immediately knew what her parents meant, and for the first time in years, her face lit up with a smile that almost extended up to her eyes.

"Your first lessons in flight."

The young owl probably would have shreed uncontrollably had she not tried to contain herself. But she did, and she nodded cordially, still with a wide grin on her face, and followed her father out onto the hollow branch. This excited her even more, as she'd never really been outside the hollow before.

"Now," Ethan began. "Being an owl, you must learn to fly both swiftly and silently in order to both hunt and evade enemies. Tonight, we will be taking baby steps. All you have to do right now is hop off this branch and glide to that one down there." He pointed with an outstretched feather where he wanted her to aim.

"Just jump, keep your wings outstretched without flapping, then land, grasping the branch firmly in your talons. Since this is just your first flight, you don't really need to worry about how much noise you make right now, you just need to stretch out your-"

Before he could finish, Ginger pushed herself off the branch with outstretched wings, glided noiselessly to the branch her father had pointed at and executed a perfect landing.

"Wings?..." Ethan was awestruck.

"Well done, Ginger!" he exclaimed as he alighted onto her branch. "You've really impressed me."

Ginger was impressed herself, and even a bit amused. She'd thought that she would stumble and wobble on her way down, but something inside of her seemed to balance her flight and landing.

"Hey, Dad!" A voice called from above. It was none other than Felix. "I wanna try flying, too!"

"Hmm..." Ethan pondered on whether he should let him practice flying before his flight feathers had completely grown in. His thoughts were cut off when he heard Ginger begin to speak.

"Oh, no you don't Felix," she snapped. "You're not bothering me now. This is important stuff, _and_ I really want to spend some quality time with Dad right now. So give it a blow and get your butt feathers back inside."

'Give it a blow' was a disrespectful way for an owl to tell another to shut up.

"Ginger, that was very rude," Ethan reprimanded with a calm, but firm voice. "I think it would be nice to let your brother come out for a bit, don't you think?"

"I-bu-ta-eh...WHAT?" the owl stuttered. Felix would certainly ruin her lessons and spoil the quality time she wanted to spend.

"You heard me. Felix is going to practice a bit with us."

"But his flight feathers can't hold him off the ground for two seconds!"

"It's just to strengthen his wings a bit. The younger you are when you start learning this kind of stuff, the better, am I right?"

Ginger sighed sharply. She could not argue with that.

"Fine." she whispered stubbornly.

"All, right!" Felix jumped off the hollow branch and madly flapped his wings in attempt to stay aloft. Although rather slowly, Felix simply fell to his father and sister's branch, landing right in between them.

"That was very good for a owl your age, son!" Ethan praised. Ginger just stared at him, shocked that he actually made it down to where they were perched without crashing at all. Despite not having had any casualties either, envy began to fill her veins.

 _Beginner's luck. I'll show him who's the best flyer around here._

Without even planning her next action, Ginger seemed to jump off the tree limb and head to a lower branch, performing the same gliding maneuver from before. Just as it seemed she was about to reach it, she began lightly flapping her wings. The glide turned to mid-flight, then into soaring. Swift as a sparrow, the young owl spiraled upward around the tree, flapping her wings harder as she rose into the air before landing back on the hollow branch. Having stared at her the whole time, Ethan was astonished.

"How did you..." His sentence faded into nothingness.

"I guess watching you and Mom take off every time you left the hollow paid off after a while."

"Back already, Ginger?" Nutmeg was inside the hollow.

"Oh, I'm not done yet."

"How exactly did you get back up here without your father's help?"

"I just flew myself."

"No!" She was just as astonished as her mate had been.

"Yes."

"You're kidding!"

"I'm not messin' with you. Ask Dad."

Nutmeg looked down and saw her husband's wide eyes and dropped jaw.

"Just you watch," Ginger said as she glided again off the branch, then began to flap again. Like before, she flapped harder with each beat, and she began flying circles around the spruce tree and then alighted on the hollow's edge and went inside. The three owls followed after her.

"Ginger, you're a natural!" Nutmeg told her. "Rest up for a bit. We're going to get you a nice fat vole for dinner tonight."

"Just remember, Ginger," Ethan warned as they reentered. "You still need to learn a few more things before you start flying without accompaniment. No flying without our supervision until we say it's alright, okay?"

"Yes, Dad." Although she heeded his warning, she still felt happier than she ever had in the longest time.


	8. Chapter 7: A Brother's Bad Behavior

Ginger spent the next few days brushing up on her flight skills. Turning had turned out to be easy, but it was steep banks and power dives that she still had to work on. Plus, being a beginner in flight, Ginger would tire out quickly, and she would have to come back into the hollow to rest, and often times, she was unable to continue for quite a while, as her parents would usually go hunting after assisting with her training. One night, Ginger asked to tag along on a hunting expedition.

"Is it okay if I go with you guys on the hunt tonight?"

"Not tonight," her mother said to her. "You're still not quite strong enough."

"Besides," Ethan pitched in. "You have to stay at home and watch Felix to make sure he doesn't go onto the branch again."

"Yeah...I guess you guys are right."

Felix had developed the deadly habit of climbing out onto the branch outside the family hollow while nobody was looking just for the fun of it. He knew he wasn't allowed to, and if he was caught, he would get a severe thumping on the head with one of his parents' wings. He just couldn't resist his temptation.

Ginger understood and obeyed their orders. While she made sure that Felix wasn't trying any funny business, she stretched and flapped her wings, exercising them in attempt to make them stronger to enable longer flights. Her brother stared at her, quite perplexed by her behavior.

"Uh, hey Ging'?" he asked. "Whatcha doin' with your wings?"

"Exercising them."

"Why?"

"So I can fly better, you dummkopf."

"Can I try?"

"Sure, I guess."

Felix waddled behind the older owl and copied her every move. Despite Ginger finding this activity important, Felix grew bored of it within about a minute.

"Can you play Knight and Dragon with me?"

Ginger responded to the question with a growlish hoot.

"Is that, like, the only game you know how to play?"

"No, it's just-"

"Then we can do something else!"

"Like what?"

 _He really **doesn't** know how to play any other game._

"Figure it out yourself!" Her steam beginning to build, Ginger turned her head away from him and resumed her exercising.

"You're mean," Felix said sternly.

Ginger didn't even bother responding to his remark.

Felix decided that he didn't really want to do anything with his sister right now anyway because of how she was acting towards him, but he still had nothing to do.

 _Except go out onto the branch._ he thought cheekily.

Ginger was facing the back of the hollow, and was pretty absorbed in her exercising. As long as he didn't make to much noise, he could probably go out on there for maybe a minute without being caught, and he would come back in right when he heard Ethan and Nutmeg coming back. Ignoring the possible risks, Felix slowly extended one foot outside the hollow and firmly grasped the branch, the quietly lifted his other foot and used it to grab the rim of the hollow and steady himself. Slowly but surely, he inched further and further from the hollow, then stopped to look back at Ginger. She was so preoccupied, she might as well had forgotten all about him. Felix chuckled softly, sure that he had gotten away with his devious behavior, but it was then that a rather strong gust of wind blew on him.

" _Whu, whoooaa_!" he exclaimed as he was tossed by the wind. Having tightly gripped the branch during the gust, he managed to hold on, but regretted making the loud noise. Having heard him exclaim, Ginger swiveled her head around toward the hollow opening.

"AWK! FELIX!"

 _I'm so dead,_ Felix said to himself as Ginger headed towards him.

"Get off that branch, RIGHT NOW!" she screamed. She was right on the edge of the hollow, but she dared not leave it while her parents were away.

 _If she can't reach me, I'm probably good_. Felix decided as he extended outwards even more.

"You're not Mom," he taunted, enjoying the idea of getting her dander up as payback for her attitude earlier.

Ginger's eyes widened, then scrunched up into a nasty scowl. Fueled by anger, she climbed out after her brother. In vain attempt to escape, Felix kept heading toward the end of the branch, but he could not out-speed his sister, who had more experience with branches that he did. She grabbed him by the wing and tried to pull him back to the hollow.

"Mom and Dad are going to be hearing about this, Felix!"

"I think not!"

In retaliation, Felix jerked his head down and bit Ginger's middle talon on her port foot with his sharp beak.

" _Aurgh!"_ the owl exclaimed as she let go of her brother and held her foot. Felix had cut the skin on the talon when he had pecked her and it was beginning to bleed. Entering a rage, Ginger lifted the owlet in her wings and threw him head first back into the hollow. Felix went head over talons, tried to cushon his head with his wings as it hit the back wall, fell to his stomach, then unsteadily got back up, trying to shake off the pain in his head. As Ginger began to ease her breathing in attempt to calm herself, she heard the approach of their parents, and stayed on the branch as she watched them come in to land beside her. They were immediately skeptical, and not at all happy that she was outside without them for who knows how long.

"Ginger, why are you on the branch?" Ethan asked her with a serious tone.

"Oh, I'm certainly glad you asked, Dad."

"Explain, then," Nutmeg added. "Because you'll be in trouble unless you have a good reason for coming out here without being watched."

Ginger explained to them everything that happened. The branch, the squabble, and she made certain to put heavy emphasis on her bitten talon. That was when her father cut her off.

"Wait." he interrupted. "Let me get this straight. He bit you?"

"Yes. Yes he did."

"A mild little owlet like him? I've never seen him do anything close to such a thing ever before."

"Well, here's your proof!" Agitated that her father didn't believe her, Ginger waggled her injured talon in her father's face.

"And take a good look at it. Too clean to be a scrape, too big to be a cut. It's a bite, and that owlet is the one who inflicted it."

Ethan leaned away from it in disgust. He'd killed a lot of animals in his lifetime, so he was no stranger to blood, but there was something about the blood of another owl that just put him off.

"Okay, now I think I believe you. Is Felix back in the hollow, though?"

"Yes, but I'm quite certain that even after this, he won't stop coming out onto here."

"Well," Nutmeg started. "That was indeed a very good explanation as to why you were out here. Your father and I are going to go have a little talk with your brother right now about this whole matter, and we'll make sure he gets some sense knocked into him. He's never going to be doing anything like this ever again."

"Good luck with that," Ginger mumbled.

"But just to be sure you're telling the truth, We're going to listen to Felix's side of the story as well," Ethan warned.

"Sounds good to me, cuz unless he decides to lie, Felix will tell you the exact same thing."

Felix had never told a lie in his life, despite being a nuisance, so Ginger expected him to tell the same story she had. Was she ever wrong.

Felix told the adult owls a completely different story from Ginger's, claiming that it was her who went out onto the branch and that she was going to try to fly unsupervised. When he tried to get her back in, she fought back with a shove, to which he bit her on the toe as payback, and then Ginger gave him an even greater push that sent him back inside.

"And since you guys were almost here, she made up the lie within the seconds before you came in."

Ginger could not believe her earslits. Enraged by Felix's shameful dishonesty, she stormed into the hollow and angrily confronted her younger brother.

"You've got some nerve, Felix! Since when did you learn to lie like that?"

"I'm not lying, you're the liar!"

"Ex _CUSE_ me!?"

"You know you tried to fly!" Felix sounded pretty convincing to Ethan and Nutmeg. "Now confess!"

"I won't admit it because it's NOT TRUE, you little lying pile of pellets!"

The arguing between the two siblings quickly grew more and more loud and tense. They continued to yell incoherently in each other's faces. At first, it was just words being thrown back and forth, but the fight was quick to turn physical. Felix lashed out with his sharp claws, to which she responded with a hard whack with her wing. In return, Felix pounced on his older sister and tried to pin her, and she tried to escape by thrashing about and swiping her wings at him to keep his beak and talons at bay.

"Kids, stop," Ethan told the, but he could barely hear himself over the commotion.

"Come on, kids, please stop!"

Nothing. He had only one option remaining.

 _ **"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**_

The ear spitting screech seemed to stop time, and the hollow went quiet. Ginger and Felix had immediately stopped fighting and were looking at their father as though he had three heads. Even Nutmeg was staring at him.

"Alright," he said firmly. "Felix has the more honest record, but Ginger has evidence that points to her version of the story. I really don't know who to believe, so I'm not going to be punishing anybody in any way, because I don't believe in prosecuting the innocent and letting the guilty go free. But since I don't want anymore fighting between the two of you, I'm going to separate the two of you during dinner so you can cool down. Felix, you can eat part of the squirrel we got inside the hollow with me, and Ginger can go outside with her mother to eat. Am I clear?"

Both owlets nodded and headed to their assigned places. The squirrel was sliced in half with a quick slash of Ethan's talons, with he and Felix getting the back and Ginger and Nutmeg getting the front. Ethan and Felix mingled with each other during dinner, the owlet seeming to have forgotten that the entire episode had even happened. Out on the branch, Nutmeg tried to start a conversation herself.

"So, Ginger, I heard from a friend of mine that the humans down in Chatham are going to be having their annual fireworks show in a few days. They're so loud and bright that they can be seen from all the way out here. Doesn't it sound exciting?"

Ginger didn't respond. She simply continued swallowing chucks of the squirrel, not even caring about how good it tasted.

"I've never really told you about fireworks. Their manmade devices that are shot into the air, were they explode in a colorful burst. They can be dangerous to passing birds, but most species know better than to be around that kind of stuff, and from a distance, they're quite a spectacular sight."

Still nothing.

"I don't suppose you'd be interested in seeing them, are you?"

This time, Ginger, although still silent, shot her an ominous, piercing glare, then proceeded eating. Nutmeg stepped back a bit, intimidated by her daughter's seemingly dark, and almost threatening behavior. This wasn't the owlet she once knew, and it gave her deep concern for her child's wellbeing.

 _She's probably just wants to be left alone right now._ Nutmeg surmised, trying not to think of it too badly. _This should all clear up eventually._


	9. Chapter 8: Loss of Self Control

Things didn't go as Nutmeg had hoped.

Ginger continued her flight practice, but ever since the branch incident, she barely spoke, nor did she smile. When the time came to see the fireworks that she had told her about, the rest of the owls watched outside while Ginger stayed inside the hollow, her back facing the awesome light show, completely motionless. Her parents were worried out of their minds, and even Felix didn't dare approach her while his parents were away. Eventually, Ethan decided he would try to lift his daughter's spirits.

"Oh, Ginger," He said to her one night, approaching her with a goofy grin on his face. "Your mother told me that she would rather stay here with Felix while I go out to hunt tonight. I was wondering, since she's going to be watching your brother, I was wondering if you'd want to, oh, I don't know... _COME ALONG!?"_

He expected Ginger to perk up, but she didn't even give him the satisfaction of looking at him.

"Huh? _Huh?_ Doesn't it sound like-"

"Go. Away."

Seeing that his plan didn't work, he simply left without saying another word. Nutmeg followed after him, deciding that since she'd be home anyway, she would go with him.

"Okay, there is _definitely_ something wrong," Ethan said to his mate. "She's always wanted to come with us on the hunt."

"You don't think her strange behavior has anything to do with that Alba Pox she had when she was two, do you?"

Ethan shuddered at the mention of the disease. Certainly there wouldn't be a relapse of some sort after all these years. He refused to accept the theory, and decided to push it out of his mate's mind as well.

"I seriously doubt that," Ethan responded, deciding to make himself believe the absurd hypothesis his mate had come up with. "I have a strong feeling she's still upset about the whole branch thing."

"Still? But that was over two months ago!"

"Yep. When do you think she started acting like this anyway. It was that day that it started, so it must've been that event that caused all this."

"Well, it could be that, now that I think about it, but just to be certain, how about you go talk to her about it once we get back?"

"Me? Why not you? Or both of us?"

"I don't want it to be too overwhelming for her if she's too emotionally distraught."

"You do have a point..."

"But let's worry about that later. Let's just focus on getting that muskrat you wanted for now, alright?"

"Yes, dear," he answered, ending the conversation.

* * *

...

* * *

Within about and hour, the owl couple found and killed a muskrat by the pond, and were heading back to the hollow. Right when their spruce tree came into view, Nutmeg was confronted with a strong and sudden breeze. She staggered, then looked down and saw the dead muskrat plummeting to the ground below.

"Oopsies," Nutmeg said nervously. "I guess I'll go get it back."

"Hey, everyone makes mistakes, Nutmeg. Besides, it wasn't your fault, it was the wind's!"

"Heh, I guess you're right. But I better go get it now before some other animal does."

"Take your time, no need to rush."

While Nutmeg dove into the leaves in search if their meal, Ethan drew closer to the hollow. Upon closing in on the hollow branch, he saw something brown amongst the pine needles on its end. It was an owl, and upon closer inspection, he immediately saw it was Ginger. Deciding now was the time to speak with her about her troubles, he alighted on the limb and slowly approached her.

"Hey...sweetie.." His voice was soft and soothing.

"What?" Ginger's voice exactly opposed his.

"What's been going on lately?"

"I can't take it anymore. I just can't."

"You can't take what?"

" _Him!"_

Ginger pointed at Felix, who was inside fiddling with a twig.

"Why is that?"

"He doesn't ever stop pestering me for things until he gets his way, he only wants to play that stupid dragon game, and to top it all off, he _lied_ about me to you and Mom!"

 _Dear me. Well, I guess I know who was being honest about the branch incident now._

"Do you know what it's like?" Ginger almost whispered. "To be lied about when you were only doing what had to be done?"

"No, actually, but I can easily imagine how hard it is on you. Maybe we should-"

"I don't know what I ever saw in him," the young owl continued. "I made a vow to teach and protect him, and he used it against me. It has done nothing to benefit either of us and it's _all his fault_. I don't want to have anything to do with him ever again."

"Well, he is your brother, so I doubt you really mean that. It's-"

"I do mean it!" Don't you allow that stinkin' pellet picker to talk to me, look at me, or think about me ever again!"

"Ginger, it sounds to me like you're going just a bit far with your insults." Ethan's voice had become a hint more serious.

"I'm not, for sky's sake!" Ginger began to yell and stepped closer to her father with menacing eyes. "Can't you see he's driving me nuts!?"

"Ginger, I, heh...I know he can be a bit of a wingful sometimes, but I had siblings and I understand what you're going through." Despite looking and speaking with a calm face, Ethan now felt threatened.

"You don't understand _NOTHIN'!"_ she screamed. "If you did, you would have fixed the problem ages ago!"

"Now, you listen here!" Ethan stamped his foot on the branch, making sure to show Ginger which of them was the dominant owl. "Neither I nor your mother are any sort of miracle worker, and we can't fix problems as quickly as you think we can!"

"Then you call yourself a good father!?"

"Don't you speak to me in that tone of-"

" _ **I WISH I WAS DEAD!**_ "

Cutting off her father's sentence, she raised her foot. What she did next, she didn't even know. Her sight began to grow blurry. She had no idea what was happening. All she heard was her father calling out in agony, as though in pain. She looked down at her talons, and grew drowsy as she saw the color red, and then there was nothing. The last thing she remembered before blacking out losing her footing, then feeling a strong breeze.


	10. Chapter 9: Awake and Afraid

Ginger groaned as she opened her eyes. Looking around, she saw that she'd been put back in the hollow and was sitting in the nest. Her parents were nowhere to be seen. Confused as to why the hollow was empty, Ginger stood up and listened for any familiar voices. Nothing but silence. Still feeling a bit dazed, she looked down at her talons, noticing that the black claws on their ends appeared to be tipped with red. Was she hallucinating? She picked up her starboard foot and licked the red substance. She immediately recognized the taste: blood.  
Everything came back to her much more clearly, a bit too clearly. In her enraged state, she had slashed her father right across the face and fainted at the sight of his blood. How badly she'd injured him, she had no idea, but she did know that she was beginning to lose her sanity. How would she control herself from doing this again? Her thoughts were cut off when she heard the voices of her parents-and Felix-drawing near. She eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Does it look bad?" Ethan asked.

"It could be much worse, dear."

 _Oh, thank heaven he's not badly injured._

"Well, that's good. I'm kind of worried about it getting infected."

"The Barred Owl told me that it probably won't. We have a very clean environment, and unless we do anything particularly dirty within the next few days, those scratches should be perfectly fine."

"How exactly did Dad get those scratches on his face, anyway, Mom?"

Silence.

"It...It's best you not know, Felix," Nutmeg told him.

"Yeah, it's a long story, son. One I'm sure you don't want to hear."

"What do you think we should do with Ginger, Ethan?"

"I believe she had no control over what she did, and couldn't have controlled it even if she wanted to. She'd never lash out at me like that on purpose, I'm sure.

"Ginger lashed out at you!?" Felix almost screamed.

"Darn it, I let it slip, didn't I? Oh well, I suppose he would have found out sooner or later."

"So what exactly are you going to do, Ethan?"

"Same thing I tried before: conversation."

"Are you sure that's going to work?"

"As long as I don't raise my voice like last time. I feel as though I'm the one who provoked Ginger into doing that, anyway, and it's my responsibility to set things straight between us. No yelling, no scolding, nothing like that. Just sweet conversation."

By the time they had finished, they had reached the hollow branch. Still shaken by what she'd done, she feared the worst. The owl flinched at the sight of her father's face, three red lines running diagonally across it.

"Ginger," Ethan almost whispered, his tone soft and soothing as it had been shortly before Ginger had placed those ugly slash marks on his face. She stumbled as she backed away into the furthermost part of the hollow.

"Stay back," she rasped. "Please..."

"It's alright." Ethan drew nearer. Ginger tried to back up even more, but there was no place to back into.

"Stay away...I don't want to hurt you again."

"Aw, Ging', you don't-"

The owl let out a sharp, short scream, a method Barn Owls often used when in danger or when they felt threatened. Ethan jumped and stepped back, startled by the crisp noise. Ginger was breathing heavily.

"I see...You need some time alone."

Saying that, he exited the hollow and began talking with his family again. Ginger didn't bother eavesdropping.

 _What's become of me?_ the owl asked herself. _I can't live the rest of my childhood as a danger to my family. I need to do something!_

Tears streaming from her eyes, she went back to the nest and tried to think up a solution to this mess. For two hours she sat there, her head throbbing with thoughts on how to possibly fix the situation. Looking outside, she saw that the shy had turned from deep indigo to pale periwinkle. A tiny sliver of the sun was peering over the horizon.

 _It's dawn. Maybe if I call it a night and get some sleep I'll come to my senses and think up a solution._

Ginger shut her tired eyes and lowered her head into the nest, the soft sounds of her parents entering the hollow to do the same flowing through her earslits.


	11. Chapter 10: Free Flying

The dawn turned to day. Ethan, Nutmeg and Felix were sound asleep in the nest. Ginger, however, was unable to sleep. She wasn't even tired. Wide awake, she simply stared outside from the hollow entrance. The forest looked much brighter in the daylight, and the distant city of Chatham County was clearer. Then it hit her. She knew how to save her family from her uncontrollable wrath. It was the only way to do so...Ginger had to leave.

 _What a world it must be out there. More forests, cities, mountains, fields, deserts, and more, I imagine!_

She could go anywhere her heart pleased. She would no longer be a threat to her parents. She would never argue with Felix again. It sounded like a wonderful idea. The only problem? She was still a bit rough on the edges in flight.

 _It is a bit risky._ Though her flight skills had greatly improved, she'd never flown without supervision before.

 _Well, nothing happened then_. she reassured herself. _What could possibly go wrong now?_

She looked back at her parents. They'd done so much for her, and had taught her so many things throughout the course of her life. She loved them dearly. Felix on the other hand...well...she had mixed feelings about him. She wanted nothing to do with him ever again, seeing how badly behaved he was, but at the same time, she wanted him to be happy. It was odd, she thought, to think in such a way.

 _Thank you for everything._ Ginger wanted to say to them, but she wouldn't dare tell them of her plans. They would certainly not allow it, but she had to leave for their own good. Her mind made up, she silently climbed out onto the hollow branch. She looked at her parents one last time.

"Thank you," she whispered, though barely a noise came out. She spread her wings and looked ahead.

 _Well...here goes nothing!_

The Barn owl jumped and began flapping with tightly shut eyes. She felt a strong, fresh breeze in her feathers. Ginger opened her eyes to see herself zooming over the tree tops. Still flapping lightly, she flew onward. She was beginning to near the city, and she flapped harder and faster to gain height, in order to avoid striking one of the skyscrapers, and soon found herself among them. The humans' environment looked very different from her own. Continuing flight, she gained speed, the breeze grew stronger, and for the first time in what seemed to her to be forever, she smiled yet again.

"Ya- _HOOOOOO!"_

The owl rode the air currents, loving every minute of freedom. Ginger soon spied the open Atlantic Ocean. Bravery and courage urging her on, she had every intent of crossing it and exploring the lands beyond.

"I'll soar to new heights," she said aloud. "I'll explore the world beyond this land!"

Joy swept through the young owl's body as she looked down at the deep blue waters below.

"Nothing can stop me now!"


	12. About the Characters

**GINGER** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , First born daughter of mates Ethan and Nutmeg, raised in a spruce tree near Chatham, Georgia. Left home at a very young age due to boredom and being constantly annoyed by her brother Felix.

 **ETHAN** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , Ginger and Felix's father, husband of Nutmeg.

 **NUTMEG** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , Ginger and Felix's mother, wife of Ethan.

 **FELIX** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , Ginger's five-year-old brother, fledgling, constantly annoyed Ginger to the point of her leaving.


	13. Preview Page

Keep your eyes peeled for the next issue!

 _Ginger and the Tytonic Union_

After being taken out by a severe hail storm in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, young Ginger is rescued by two wandering Long-Eared Owls, Jatt and Jutt. Seeing her skills as a flyer, they bring her to a land undiscovered by the outside world: the Beaks in the uncharted Owl Kingdoms, home of the once evil, but now restored, Tytonic Union of Pure Ones. How will Ginger fair among the other Trainee Owls, and what kind of reputation will she build as a Pure One?

Find out in _Ginger's Adventures #2: Ginger and the Tytonic Union!_


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